AIIMS admits laser machine out of order for 17 months

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Wednesday conceded before the Delhi high court that its 'pulse dye laser' machine, which is needed for skin treatment, has been dysfunctional for several months.TNN | January 26, 2017, 09:01 IST

The admission came after HC castigated it following a complaint that a patient was not getting treated for a serious ailment due to the non-functional machine.

The institute assured Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva that it has started repairing the machine and it would be functional soon. "The concerned company has been consulted to do the repair work. We are also in the process of purchasing new machines," the counsel for AIIMS submitted.

The court asked the institute to complete the process in four weeks and fixed the matter for February 27, by when the institute would have to file a status report on the matter.

On January 16, Justice Sachdeva had made it clear that he expected the hospital to take immediate steps. "If you have bought a machine, you should maintain it. If AIIMS does not have funds, which I don't think is the case, then the government should pay for its repairs," he had noted.

Maintaining that the machine has not been working for over 17 months, advocate Ashok Aggarwal, appearing for petitioner Mohammad Quayamuddin, had said his client had to undergo 10 sessions of treatment, but only one was done in May 2015 as the machine, costing Rs 50 lakh, was out of order. Quayamuddin, a 23-year-old engineering student, has been unable to get treatment or his skin ailment, port wine stain.

In his plea, Quayamuddin said no public-funded hospitals in Delhi, barring AIIMS, has the pulse dye laser machine. And since it has been non-functional, not only he but several others were also suffering.

Only in India the healthcare financing is very small when compared to the financing by the other forces rather than the patient himself or herself paying out of pocket. Having 70-75% of the expenses as out-of-pocket, in my opinion, is not a right approach to managing healthcare in a country where the patients tend to sub-optimally purchase healthcare if he/she has to pay out-of-pocket.